Beyond the Adversarial System: Achieving the Challenge Report

You are here

Prosecutors and Public Defenders Come Together for Lasting Criminal Justice Reform

Commonly Seen as Adversaries APA and NLADA are Now Collaborating On Recommendations for Fundamental Changes to the Criminal Justice System

Over the past year and a half, the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys (APA) and the National Legal Aid and Defender Association (NLADA) have been serving as strategic allies in a national effort to bring lasting changes to the criminal justice system, also known as the Safety and Justice Challenge. The Safety and Justice Challenge (SJC or the Challenge) is a $100 million investment by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation aimed at changing the way America thinks about and uses its jails. As strategic allies in the SJC, APA and NLADA are committed to supporting jurisdictions in fulfilling their criminal justice reform goals.

Defenders and prosecutors involved with the Challenge support twin goals of decreasing unnecessary criminal justice involvement and reducing racial and ethnic disparities within the law enforcement system. The ultimate objective is to promote justice and create safer communities, which is paramount to ensure a more just and fair U.S. criminal justice system.

Through this collaborative effort, APA and NLADA were able to craft Beyond The Adversarial System: Achieving the Challenge.Beyond The Adversarial System is a joint paper with recommendations aimed at promoting and improving successful collaborations between prosecutors and defenders.

Along with distributing the paper, APA and NLADA hosted a joint webinar on March 14, 2018 for the criminal justice community to learn more about this important partnership. This webinar is available below: